German-born Vollmer epitomizes what NFL hopes to achieve in Europe

LONDON — Had Sebastian Vollmer stuck with soccer, it’s doubtful he’d ever have gotten to play in Wembley Stadium.

By JIM DONALDSON

LONDON — Had Sebastian Vollmer stuck with soccer, it’s doubtful he’d ever have gotten to play in Wembley Stadium.

You just don’t see many 6-foot-8, 320-pound sweepers.

That was Vollmer’s position growing up as a kid in Germany, playing what everyone there called “football.”

Then, as a young teenager, he got to see what we Americans like to think of as “real football.”

“I enjoyed playing soccer,” he said, “but I liked the physicality of football. You don’t get to hit people in soccer. At least not legally.”

Although he didn’t start playing “real” football until he was 14, Vollmer picked up the game quickly. It helped that he had great size, was very athletic and also is smart.

He spoke very little English when he was offered a scholarship to play football at the University of Houston, but now, after four years in Texas and four in the NFL, he is fluent in the language.

And so proficient as a blocker that he has been a starter at tackle for the Patriots since six weeks into his rookie season, in 2009. His second career start came right here in London, when the Patriots traveled here to play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

That sort of progress makes him a Poster Boy for what the NFL hopes to accomplish by playing games in Europe — attracting prospective players, as well as new fans.